The St. Louis Cardinals addressed another major offseason concern Thursday night, taking advantage of the San Diego Padres’ sell-off mode by acquiring shortstop Khalil Greene for minor leaguers. The Padres get minor league right-hander Mark Worrell and a prospect to be named from a pool of three players, two pitchers and one position player.
Edgar Renteria is back in the National League, where he thinks he best belongs. Renteria became the second free agent to join the San Francisco Giants in two days, receiving an $18.5 million, two-year contract Thursday to replace 11-time Gold Glove shortstop Omar Vizquel. A five-time NL All-Star, Renteria has spent 11 of his 13 major league seasons in the National League.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman met Thursday with agent Scott Boras and planned to get together this weekend with free-agent pitcher CC Sabathia ahead of the winter meetings. Cashman’s meeting with Boras and intention to meet with Sabathia were disclosed by separate baseball officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because the Yankees did not announce Cashman’s plans.
Baseball salaries started to slow this year even before the economy nosedived. The average salary in Major League Baseball this season was $2.93 million, the players’ association said Thursday in its annual report. The 3.6 percent increase was the smallest since 2004, when the average declined 2.5 percent from the previous season.
Federal prosecutors dropped four counts of lying to a grand jury against Barry Bonds, leaving him to face trial next year on 10 counts of making false statements plus an addition obstruction of justice charge. Bonds faces the same potential sentence range — probation to roughly two years in prison — if convicted.
Tampa Bay Rays closer Troy Percival had back surgery this week and is expected to be ready to return to the AL champions before opening day. The 39-year-old right-hander went 2-1 with a 4.53 ERA and a team-leading 28 saves this year, but also missed 42 games while spending three stints on the disabled list because of hamstring and knee injuries.
Left-hander Trever Miller and the St. Louis Cardinals finalized a one-year contract Wednesday. The 35-year-old reliever was 2-0 with a 4.15 ERA in 68 games with Tampa Bay last season, when he held left-handed hitters to a .209 average against him in 91 at-bats. He also allowed just six of 37 inherited runners to score.
The Giants took another step toward bolstering their bullpen Wednesday, agreeing to terms on a $2.75 million, one-year contract with free agent reliever Bob Howry. The Giants had been looking for a reliable right-handed reliever and filled another spot with Howry, who was declined salary arbitration by the Chicago Cubs on Monday.
AL Most Valuable Player Dustin Pedroia and the Boston Red Sox agreed Wednesday to a $40.5 million, six-year contract. The deal includes a club option for 2015. He would not have been eligible for free agency until after the 2012 season. Pedroia led the AL with 213 hits, 118 runs and 54 doubles in helping the Red Sox win a wild-card berth.
Oft-injured Mike Hampton finalized a one-year, $2 million deal with the Houston Astros on Wednesday, hoping to resurrect his career in the place where he became a prominent big league pitcher. “Some of my fondest memories came in an Astros uniform,” he said. “So it’s a chance to return to some of those glory days.” The contract includes $2 million in performance bonuses.